Reservoir Vote Still Uncertain

LAGUNA BEACH —  With the decision a day away, it was uncertain Monday how the City Council would vote tonight on a proposed reservoir that has become increasingly controversial since the terrible fire three weeks ago.

Councilman Wayne L. Peterson has urged the council to approve an agreement allowing the Laguna Beach Water District to build a 3-million-gallon reservoir at one of the highest points in the city.

Peterson has argued that the reservoir would have significantly helped firefighters Oct. 27 as they battled the firestorm that destroyed 366 homes and caused more than $400 million in damages. The reservoir has been in the planning stages since 1990.

While Peterson’s vote is certain, Councilwoman Kathleen Blackburn, a past supporter of the reservoir, is a bit vague. She said she doesn’t expect to change her mind about the issue, although she has yet to make a final decision.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Ann Christoph said she would continue to abstain from the issue because of a potential conflict of interest. Before Christoph, a landscape architect, served on the council, she helped design Alta Laguna Park, located next to the proposed reservoir site.

The two remaining council members, Mayor Lida Lenney and Councilman Robert Gentry, are undeclared on the reservoir issue.

“There’s new information coming out daily about the whole fire scenario,” Gentry said. “To tell you the honest-to-gosh truth, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

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Added Lenney: “I really have no idea how this whole thing is going to evolve.”

Since the fire, the council, which has bickered for years about the reservoir, has come under increasing criticism from residents who claim that homes were lost because the reservoir hasn’t been built.

The city has blocked attempts by the water district to place the reservoir on an environmentally sensitive, 2.5-acre knoll next to Alta Laguna Park in the Top of the World neighborhood.

The water district found itself suing the city through eminent domain to get the city-owned property for the reservoir. The district has estimated that it would cost about $3 million to build the reservoir.

Although the district took possession of the land several weeks ago, before the fire, it still must clear other environmental and bureaucratic hurdles before building on the site.

Peterson’s proposal to the council would clear many of those obstacles and allow the water district to proceed with its plans.

Because the proposed reservoir site is in an elevated area--more than 1,000 feet above sea level--proponents have said it would be a valuable water source should mechanical or electrical pumping fail.

But a vocal group of residents, including members of Village Laguna, one of the city’s most powerful political groups, have opposed putting the reservoir at the proposed site, saying it could cause environmental damage.

Others have raised questions whether the reservoir would have helped firefighters.

The council will consider the issue tonight at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, 505 Forest Ave.